Differentials are provided on vehicles to permit an outer drive wheel to rotate faster than an inner drive wheel during cornering as both drive wheels continue to receive power from the engine. While differentials are useful in cornering, they can allow vehicles to lose traction, for example, in snow or mud or other slick mediums. If either of the drive wheels loses traction, it will spin at a high rate of speed and the other wheel may not spin at all. To overcome this situation, limited-slip differentials were developed to shift power from the drive wheel that has lost traction and is spinning to the drive wheel that is not spinning.
Electronically-controlled, limited-slip differentials can include a hydraulically-actuated clutch to limit differential rotation between output shafts of the differential. The hydraulically-actuated clutch, however, must be powered by a separate pump, e.g., connected to a vehicle drive shaft. In addition to the extra cost associated with providing a separate pump as described, such pumps can introduce parasitic energy losses that can negatively impact vehicle fuel economy and vehicle operation. For at least these reasons, an improved differential is desired.
The background description provided herein is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the presently named inventors, to the extent it is described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description that may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the present disclosure.
Additional drawings and materials are attached as an Appendix at the end of the present disclosure.